More than 400 hundred supporters gathered at Urban Adamah farm in West Berkeley Saturday evening to celebrate Berkeleyside’s 10th birthday.
The party kicked off with a champagne reception in the farm’s yurt for foundation members, all of those who invested in Berkeleyside through its pioneering 2017-18 direct public offering.
The main event, to which all of Berkeleyside’s members were invited, included pizzas fresh from Lucia’s mobile pizza oven, salads from Ess and Indian dishes from Vik’s Chaat, with scoops of Almare gelato for dessert. APS Wines and Covenant, the latter located across the street from the farm, provided the wines. Fieldwork Brewing, also on Sixth Street, supplied kegs of beer.
Live music for the night came courtesy of The Cuband.
Guests strolled through the urban farm, which was founded in 2016, and admired abundant plantings of chard, tomatoes, basil and other vegetables, herbs and other greens in the aquaponic greenhouse, and goats and other animals. There was a complimentary farm tour, dancing on the lawn, and a fire pit that got popular as the sun set and the temperature dipped.
Toasts were made to the loyal community that has supported Berkeleyside and its endeavors since the news site was launched in October 2009, by journalists Frances Dinkeslpiel, Lance Knobel and Tracey Taylor.
Jacquelyn McCormick, chief of staff to Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín, read out a proclamation from the mayor celebrating 10 years of Berkeleyside. The proclamation acknowledged “the crucial role Berkeleyside plays in our city, serving as an essential source for breaking news and high-quality journalism, which is the foundation of a robust democracy.” It concluded: “I invite residents across the East Bay to celebrate Berkeleyside as a cherished part of our Berkeley community.”
